A Dream Within A Dream: Dancing with Death Tour: Review & Giveaway!

Dancing with Death
Author: Andrea Heltsley

Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: August 10, 2012

Description:

Murders have plagued the woods in the past, making them a place of fear. Eighteen year old Wendy and her friends become worried when a new string of murders come to their high school. After a horrible car accident, Wendy returns to school, going from wallflower to popular overnight. As the murderer edges closer to Wendy she realizes things are changing. She is afflicted with nightmares that are all too real and she herself is undergoing unnatural changes. Learning the truth about her past, could be the key to saving her future.

Review:

The woods surrounding Wendy's school and town have a violent history of murders in the past and everyone knows to stay away from them. However, a new series of murders is happening in the woods now. Wendy is in a hit and run accident, which she barely manages to make it out of unscathed. She returns to school to find that the hot new guy, Brandt, wants to date her and there's a weird chemistry between her and the new school librarian. Wendy soon realizes that things around her are changing quickly - including herself. Will she be able to figure out the truth behind the murders and her past before it's too late?

The description and premise behind this book was really appealing to me. There are lots of paranormal books out there, and I thought the plot to this novel held some real originality. The characters were a tad cliched and didn't have much depth - they were basically stereotypical teenagers. I enjoyed the storyline of the book - especially the guessing game about the murderer and seeing how that part of the plot would play out. There were some twists that I wasn't expecting, which made the novel that much more exciting. The diaglogue of the characters felt a bit forced to me at times, as if it wasn't how people (especially teens) would talk. The writing also felt a bit choppy and dulled down, which made it hard to get really into the book. Overall, I think that this is an good original paranormal novel that has a fresh concept for the genre. *Please note that the book I read for review was an advanced copy and the final book may be different than what I read.*